Previously known varieties of Leucothoes include evergreen and leaf-losing shrubs, widely distributed in North and South America, the Himalayas, Japan and other countries. A few kinds are in cultivation. They belong to the Heath family, Ericaceae. Leucothoes bloom in spring and early summer.
Leucothoes are moundlike shrubs with arching branches. They grow 3 to 5 feet tall in four to five years, and older plants spread slowly from underground roots. Since Leucothoes bear thick foliage on branches that droop almost to the ground, they are excellent for use in front of older larger shrubs and trees that have become unsightly at the base. They also are useful as a ground cover on a shady bank. New shoots rising from the ground and atop older branches in early spring are a bronzy green; as summer advances and the stems elongate, the glossy 4- to 7- inch leaves become a rich dark green--only to turn to a reddish bronze in northern areas as cool weather arrives. In severe winters, the plants may lose some of their upper leaves. In summer, small flower buds form at leaf axils (the points where leaves join the stems) on the outer 2 feet of each arching cane. The following spring, the buds expand into 2- to 3- inch slusters of tiny white flowers that resemble lillies of the valley. The flowers hang gracefully beneath the canes, accounting for the plant's common name. The leaves, with or without blossoms, make attractive bouquets. The varieity Rainbow has leaves marked with creamy yellow; its new growth is pink.
Leucothoes require light to deep shade and a moist acid soil. If fast growth is desired, cottonseed meal or a rhododendron-azalea-camellia fertilizer can be scattered under the plants in early spring. After plants are well established, the biggest and oldest canes can be cut to the ground in very early spring; and this pruning will keep the plants looking young and healthy.
These shrubs thrive in acid loam and peaty soils, but, like most other members of the Heath family, they detest lime. Propagation is by sowing seeds in fine soil in a slightly heated greenhouse in March or in a cold frame in spring, or by taking cuttings in late summer or early fall. The cuttings are placed in a mixture of sand and peat moss in a closed frame or greenhouse propagating bench which is kept closed until the cuttings are rooted.